i'm going to go with worse. after being booted from the x factor, britney spears is hitting the ground running, straight to vegas. they are indeed negotiations with two casinos in sin city and he would be shocked if the deal didn't happen soon. so get ready for britney spears lounge singer. okay. this is "first look" on msnbc. stay tuned, "way too early" with bill karins starts right now. our economy right now is headed in the right direction. it will stay that way as long as there aren't any more self-inflicted wounds coming out of washington. so let's keep on chipping away at this problem together as democrats and republicans to give our workers and our businesses the support that they need to thrive in the weeks and

months ahead. >> the sequester is coming. can president obama get congress to act in time? good morning, i'm bill karins. this is "way too early," the show that feels better after running straight to wikipedia. sequestration, the legal procedure which automatic spending cuts are triggered. now i get it. thanks for being up with us on this wednesday, february 6th. we have a lot to cover including a dire warning from the congressional budget office on the long term fiscal health and one that couldn't have come at a worst time for the president. marco rubio weighed on the age-old debate, tupac or biggy? first, let's ge to the news in new york city. we begin with the white house position on the u.s. government's drone campaign. a justice department memo obtained by nbc news revealed new details in how the attacks are justified despite drawing criticism from civil liberties

groups, top administrative officials insist it is consistent with the constitution. >> we conduct those strikes because they're necessary to mitigate on going actual threats to stop plots, prevent future attacks and, again, save american lives. these strikes are legal. they are ethical and they are wise. >> one of the things i want to mi make sure everybody understands is our primary concern is to keep the american people safe. but to do so in a way that is consistent with our laws and consistent with our values. we say that we only take these kinds of actions when there's an imminent threat, when capture is not feasible and when we are confident that we're doing so in a way that's consistent with federal and international law. >> the subject almost certainly set the tone for tomorrow's senate confirmation heerg for john brennan, the man nominated to head the ciament he is considered the architect of the obama administration's drone campaign. "the washington post" reveals that the u.s. has been operating

the secret drone base for the last two years. brennan played a key role in negotiating the base with the saudi kingdom. meanwhile, charlottesville, virginia, has become the first city in the country to pass a resolution restricting use of drones by law enforcement. president obama's asking law makers to take quick action as a march for a deadline approaches that will trigger deep spending cuts signalling that more time is negotiated a broader deal. he urged lawmakers to delay the sequester. but coming up with a limited package of spending cuts and tax reforms. nearly $1 trillion of domestic and defense spending hanging in the balance, the president said the impact is already being felt. >> we've also seen the effects of political dysfunction can have on our economic progress. the drawn out process for resolving the fiscal cliff hurt consumer confidence. the threat of massive automatic cuts have already strt r staart

affect business decisions. so while it's critical to cut wasteful spending, we can't just cut our way to prosperity. there is no reason that the jobs of thousands of americans who work in national security or education or clean energy, not to mention the growth of the entire economy should be put in jeopardy just because folks in washington couldn't come together or eliminate a few special interest tax loopholes or government programs that we agree need some reform. >> house speaker john boehner responded with a statement reading "republicans have twice voted replace these arbitrary cuts with common-sense cuts and reforms that protect our national defense. we believe there is a better way to reduce the deficit but americans do not support sacrificing real spending cuts for more tax hikes." efforts by the white house to head off spending cuts come as a new government report predicts the budget deficit will drop below $1 trillion for the

first time during obama's presidency. the congressional budget office which assumes that the cuts will go into effect march 1st says the government will run a deficit of $845 billion this year. that's compared to $1.1 trillion short fall. the outlook predicts the improvements will not last. it warns that an aging population will drive up retirement spending and rising interest rates will put the debt at unsustainable level it's current laws remain in place, debt by 2023 will equal 77% of gross domestic product. that is roughly double the 39% average seen over the past 40 years. coming off the republicans' bruising defeat, eric cantor is looking to rebrand his party n a speech at a d.c. think tank, he moved away from his combative tone expressing a need to work on issues with president obama important to the nation. >> hour house majority will pursue an agenda based on a

shared vision of creating the conditions of health, happiness and prosperity for more americans and their families. we'll advance proposals aimed at producing results in areas like education, health care, innovation, and job growth. >> the congressman also soften the his stance when it comes to immigration reform. although he stopped shorts of endorsing the president's plan to fix the system, mr. cantor did back the idea of providing a pass to citizenship for younger people who are in the u.s. without documentation. >> one of the great founding principles of our country was that children would not be punished for mistakes of their parents. and it is time to provide an opportunity for legal residence and citizenship for those who are brought to this country as children and who know no other home. >> there are some who would rather avoid fixing the problem.

i reject this notion. i call on our president to help lead us towards a bipartisan solution rather than encourage the common political divisions of the past. >> house speaker john boehner weighed in on immigration as well. he praised the on going bipartisan effort but warned infective that effective reform will take time. >> we had our first hearing in the committee. this bipartisan group continues to do its work. this is not about being in a hurry this is about getting it right on behalf of the american people and those who are suffering under an immigration system that doesn't work very well for anybody. >> unlike congressman cantor, he declined to endorse a pathway to citizenship for any of the country's undocumented immigrants. president obama's planning to visit israel this spring. his first to the nation since becoming president. the white house says he's looking to reaffirm the deep bond between israel and the united states while focusing on syria, iran, and the middle east

peace process, choosing israel as the first foreign stop in his second term also gives the president a chance to mend tense relationships with benjamin netanyahu. they discussed plans for the upcoming trip last week. while in the region, president obama will also visit the west bank and jordan. overseas, iranian president mahmoud am dan ghmadinejad is i. mohamed morsi rolled out the red carpet for his guest marking the first visit to cairo by an iranian leader since 1979. that is the year egypt signed a peace treaty with israel. they focused on the civil war in syria. iran remains syria's closest ally in the region and egypt called on president assad to step down. now despite the warm welcome, there were tense moments. ahmadinejad's visit to a mosque was cut short after a protester threw a shoe at him, a common sign of disrespect in the arab

world. turkish media says the man was immediately detained. new jersey governor chris christie says there is a plan to deal with his on going weight struggle. the governor poked fun of his size on david letterman's show. he even took a bite of a donut. when asked about his health at a local news conference, he acknowledged the issue saying just because his efforts to lose weight aren't always successful, it doesn't mean he's not trying. >> i know that some of you who are incredibly concerned about my weight, and i appreciate your concern, anyone who has struggled with their weight over time in this state or this country will tell you that when they begin the plan, they have every intention of fulfilling the plan. so the plan which i begin today, i have every intention of fulfilling. i hope i can fulfill it by tonight. then if i can, then tomorrow i'll start it and we'll go again. but i'm not going to be overly

self consumed about this. and nor should the people of the state be all that concerned about whether i can do my job. i can get out of bed every morning. >> and the potential 2016 presidential conditioned date, christie's weight is seen as an unavoidable subject. let us know why you're awake, shoot us an e-mail or tweet me. we'll read the best responses later. still ahead on "way too early," the ravens celebrate their super bowl victory in baltimore. and then safety every turns the event foo his american idol edition. >>. ♪ we got two tickets to paradise ♪ >> i think his song gave him the eye roll up on the shoulders. that is next in sports. later, marco rubio takes a principle stand on one of the most important debates of our generation, tupac or biggie?

big storm coming in new england, too, by the way. arthur ashe died at a hospital in new york. he was the only black man to win the wimbledon championship and the u.s. open. last april ashe revealed he had aids. he said he got it from a blood transfusion during surgery. [ female announcer ] going to sleep may be easy, but when you wake up

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i'd like to thank eating right, whole grain, multigrain cheerios! mom, are those my jeans? [ female announcer ] people who choose more whole grain tend to weigh less than those who don't. multigrain cheerios you know, hosting the show, can use an easy weather day. went to bed last night thing new england is going to get a snowstorm, new york city will be just fine. wake up at 4:00 and new york city could get 14 inches of snow. it's that kind of morning. so let me dive into it and let you know what's going to happen with this upcoming storm.

if you live in philadelphia northward, you really need to pay attention to this forecast from friday, friday night into saturday morning. right now the moisture is located in texas just plain old rain and some thunderstorms. the next 48 hours, all of the rain and moisture associated with the potential nor'easter is going to be down in the south. it's going to drench mississippi, alabama, georgia tonight and tomorrow. and then come off the carolinas. this is what i woke up to. this is the european computer models. it is more reliable in the extended period. forecasting this nor'easter all week long while the other computers said it wouldn't happen, this one wins once again. this is the predicted snowfall totals. this is the center of the storm off cape cod. that's a cold scenario for most of new england. in this area of pink, 6 to 12 inches that goes from buffalo to central michigan and in maine. this area of the darker purple is a foot plus. that covers almost all of central new england, all of southern new england and long island for possibly new york city to boston. the potential for 1 to 2 feet of

snow which could easily be the biggest snowfall that we've had this year and could be one of the crippling fast storms that moves through. our other american computer model does show the same scenario. we added confidence now that we are going to have a very significant snow, wind event, coastal tides in new england friday night and saturday. travel is not advised in those areas. make sure you have alternate plans and do so now before everyone else does, especially with the airlines there. the rest of the country today is okay. we'll focus on that coastal storm in the days ahead. turning now to sports, another baseball star's reputation in jeopardy because of suspected performance enhanced drug use. but he says it's all a big misunderstanding. ryan brawn's name apeered in records obtained from that miami ant anti-aging clinic. that's the same operation that allegedly sold peds to a-rod as recently as last season.

brawn admitted he did have a business relationship with the owner. anthony boesch but claims he only used boesch as a consultant while appealing a positive ped test in 2011. braun defended himself yesterday saying there is a dispute over compensation for boesch's work, the consulting work which is why my lawyer and i are listed under "moneys owed" and not on any other list. i have nothing to hide and have never had any other relationship with bosh. this story is going to keep getting worse as we get more and more names. college basketball. big ten. big ten is the best conference in basketball this year. a lot of great teams. michigan, indiana, ohio state. this is michigan and ohio state. of course, ind und won their game over the weekend. this is ohio state. the shot was blocked. that was to put ohio state ahead. look at the block. but there was a foul on the play.

it wasn't just a foul either. that was horrible. okay. so here's the deal. he needs two shots to go up by three. he hits the two. this is the point guard. racing down the court. is that a foul? you look at it. no call. did get a little bit of ball. a little body, too, if you look down below. no good. doesn't look like -- i don't know, that's a tough call. a little bit of contact. michigan goes on to win despite a lot of angry ohio state fans. now to a troubling story. lindsey vaughn chances of 2014 winter olympics are in serious doubt after a frightening fall in austria. she suffered two torn knee lig aamoun -- ligaments and a broken bone in her leg. she had to be airlifted after the crash. look at that right leg. we don't need to see that again.

the u.s. team actually sent us a statement. they fully expect vaughn back for the 2014 games which begin exactly a year from now. what an amazing come back. if she can come back from that after what her leg looked like. and the ravens rode down the streets of the charmed city yesterday celebrating with thousands of fans who turned out to revel in the team's super bowl win. after the parade, more than 80,000 people packed the stadium to see veteran safety ed reed do the impossible. upstage ray lewis. ♪ we got two tickets to paradise ♪ ♪ pack your bags we can leave tonight ♪ baltimore! y'all know i -- baltimore, oh!

>> he was a little better and to his child's credit, he remained a neutral party despite the reaction of all his teammates in the background. coming up at the top of the hour, president obama calls on congress to postpone deep spending cuts by enacting a different set of reductions in revenue. the "morning joe" crew will kick around the numbers whether there's any hope of getting something done big in d.c. and we'll huddle around the water cooler where president clinton is often a full throated endorsement for a woman in the white house. step aside, hillary. clinton is backing betty white. lewis will explain when "way too early" comes right back. ♪ if loving you is wrong

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the administration is defending the leg alt of drone strikes including the targeting of u.s. citizens suspected of engaging in terrorism. tell your friends that according to the new america foundation, there have been 349 drone strikes in pakistan alone since 2004. an estimated 300 civilians have been killed. enough with the real news. what are we talking around the

water cooler? >> it's nice to see you here. >> i'll be back soon. don't worry. >> good. pred president obama held a press briefing at the white house. while he was urging congress to pass spending cuts, some disruptive guests got in the way. take a look. >> as the reforms that have been proposed by the bipartisan bowls simpson fiscal commission. these reforms would reduce our government's bill. >> what's up, cameraman? come on, guys. they're breaking my flow all the time. >> he's got nice -- you see that smooth flow, man. i don't know anybody smoother than him. speaking of flow, let's go to the next story. florida senator marco rubio with his love for the 90s rapper tupac. his old cds are his most

cherished pop culture taste. >> i think tupac is more my style. in the 90s, people kind of picked up on it the wrong way. they thought these were folks that condoning a certain lifestyle. maybe some of that is in there. mostly, they were reporters. at that time from the west coast, it was a lot of reporting about what life is like. so the 90s when this was taking off is a time when this is really pronounced in l.a. you had real gang wars, you had racial tension coming off the rodney king stuff in the early '90s. the music is a reflection of what was going on at the time back then. >> this is near and dear to his heart. he got really deep there. it's incredible. i'm sure on the foreign relations committee that his extensive knowledge of '90s gangster rap is going to help him out. all right, senator rubio is listening to tupac.

he released a play list yesterday including tupac's 90s hit changes. i think that's the only one that is probably allowed to be played on the radio. >> i got some educating to do on the subject. so "changes" and "gangster party." >> all right. i'll be on the treadmill. that is a bad image. that's horrible. >> that is disturbing. you on the treadmill listening to gangster rap. all right, last night's favorite grandma celebrated her 90th birthday for the second time. betty white was home sick with the flu but nbc threw a party for her. even bill clinton delivered a birthday message and endorsement. take a look. >> in a time when our nation is so bitterly divided, it's important to have a leader who won the respect and affection of our nation in the way that betty has. after all, she's gained praise all the way from president obama

to george w. of course, i'm talking about president obama and george washington. i hope we can all look forward to 2016 when we will hopefully be able to take advantage of our opportunity to elect her president. i'm bill clinton and i approve this message. >> and that is an endorse the. if you're endorsed by bill clinton, you don't need anything else. still ahead on "way too early," why are you awake? your gangster tweets and texts are next. >> say that again. >> your gangster. >> straight from boston. we'll be back. ♪

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